The heads of Yemen's two most important tribes have spoken to denounce any interference with the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or the targeting of its interests on the part of Al-Qaeda, and said they stand fully behind the Yemeni government in efforts to foil the terrorist organization. Speaking by telephone, Sheikh Naji Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Shayef, head of the Bakeel tribe – the largest in Yemen – and advisor to President Ali Abdullah Saleh, said that he condemned any use of the Republic of Yemen as a “springhead for threatening the security of the Kingdom and the peace of its people.” “The tribes of the Bakeel, whose members number around seven million, stand together against the so-called Al-Qaeda in Yemen and its criminal elements, and any loyal citizen of Yemen can only but firmly reject anything that threatens the security of Yemen and Yemenis and the peace of neighboring countries, notably the Kingdom, which is the heart of the Islamic world and the sanctuary of Muslim hearts across the world,” Sheikh Al-Shayef said. Al-Shayef said that his tribes were aware of Al-Qaeda attempts to “lure young people” and “use them to attain its goals.” “The organization will not succeed there, as their plans have become known, and the Bakeel assists in the Yemeni government's efforts to do everything it can to ensure peace and security for its people and interests,” he said. Sheikh Sadiq Bin Abdullah Bin Hussein Al-Ahmar, head of the Hashid, Yemen's most influential tribe, described the security of Yemen and Saudi Arabia as “inseparable.” “What affects the Kingdom's security affects Yemen's security, and all the people of Yemen are united in defense of the security of their country and that of our brothers in the Kingdom,” Sheikh Al-Ahmar said. “The Kingdom and Yemen are one country and one people, and our countries' and people's brotherly relations go back to the eternal depths of history, and we cannot allow any threats to the security of the Kingdom on the part of Al-Qaeda or anyone else,” Al-Ahmar said. Al-Ahmar praised Saudi security efforts in defeating Al-Qaeda in the Kingdom, describing them as “an example to be followed”, adding that the sacrifices made by military personnel revealed the “true mettle of Saudi nature.” “The million and a half people of the tribes of the Hashid denounce any threat to the Kingdom's security or that their own country be used as a source to threaten the peace and security of the Saudi people and their interests,” Sheikh Al
